KIADB Assistant Commissioner caught taking Rs 15 lakh bribe

An Assistant Commissioner dealing with land acquisition for the KIADB was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh to clear a pending revenue matter, officials said on Wednesday. Lokayukta officials said Nagaprashanth, a Karnataka Administrative Services KAS officer, was serving as Special Assistant Commissioner North and Special Land Acquisition Officer-1 at the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board KIADB in Bengaluru.

An Assistant Commissioner dealing with land acquisition for the KIADB was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh to clear a pending revenue matter, officials said on Wednesday. Lokayukta officials said Nagaprashanth, a Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) officer, was serving as Special Assistant Commissioner (North) and Special Land Acquisition Officer-1 at the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in Bengaluru. Nagaprasath and his outsourced driver, Kumar, were secured following the trap. According to Lokayukta officials, the complainant, Ravi Kumar (41), resident of Attur in Yelahanka, had approached the Lokayukta alleging that the officer demanded Rs 30 lakh to pass a favourable order in a Rapid Revenue Team (RRT) case pending before the Assistant Commissioner (North) office in Bengaluru. Officials said the driver had earlier accepted Rs 15 lakh on the instructions of the KAS officer. ''Today, Kumar again accepted Rs 15 lakh on the instructions of Nagaprashanth,'' they added. Both accused were secured during the operation and further investigation is underway, Lokayukta officials said.